" 'Jes 'cause you from Merlin don't mean you can pay no-never-mind to them signs." A Washington, DC cab driver pointed this out to me after my car had been towed on Wisconsin Avenue. The way he said it made it sound like poetry. You can read more about the incident in the post of November 17, 2007. This blog will be about my life in Maryland, where we have lived for over 40 years.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Wow, was this book GOOD! Humans are so hard to figure out, and Kim Philby--"the greatest spy in history"--was no exception. He was loved and idolized by friends and colleagues in Britain's counterintelligence unit during a career that spanned 30 years. From the time he began working at M16, he led a double life as a spy for the Soviet Union. Philby was a man who seemed perfectly comfortable with the wealth and position he inherited. Yet while at Cambridge University, he became a communist. He was never, it seems, a true believer. So why did he risk losing friends, family, country for a cause he scarcely believed in? The author confesses that he does not know, but he suggests, among other reasons, that Philby was addicted to the game of espionage. One of the more entertaining chapters in this page-turner is Chapter Four, "Boo, Boo, Baby, I'm a Spy," in which Macintyre describes what it was like to be a spy in wild and wacky Istanbul during WW II. Whatever you do, don't miss Chapter Four.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

I am interested in the subject of "animal training," especially when the primates I have in mind happen to be members of my own family. I hope that what I've learned about positive reinforcement and ignoring behavior I don't like will do the trick. I know that, in the past, I have inadvertently reinforced unwelcome behavior by nagging, advising, commenting or overreacting. We'll see if I can change my behavior and if my changed behavior results in more fun and fewer arguments. The author has a pithy style, laced with humor. I enjoyed the book very much.

About Me

I've been married for nearly 54 years to the "Tree Hugger." We're both retired. We have two daughters, both married and living nearby. The older one has a 14-year-old son. The younger one has an 8-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter. Our dog, Dilly, is a feist who is also two and still acts like a puppy. I like to read, listen to music, play the piano, sing in the choir, and participate in dance classes at the local senior center.